When you call another addict to ask for help, you’re helping that person too.
As recovering sex and porn addicts, we are triggered almost constantly – walking down the street, at the mall, at work, at our kid’s soccer game, you name it. Usually this happens unexpectedly, but sometimes we can spot trouble coming a mile away (family gatherings, work parties, etc.) If we know that potential triggers are looming on the horizon, we can bookend the situation with phone calls to a sponsor or friend in recovery. During the ‘before’ call, we agree to not act out and we discuss, with input from the other person, ways to avoid relapse. The ‘after’ call provides an opportunity to discuss what happened, the feelings that came up, and what we might want to do differently the next time.
Task for Today
Look for a potential trigger that you might wish to bookend.